Harbord Diggers Redevelopment Update

30 Jun 2017

Harbord Diggers has today announced its decision to temporarily shut its doors for a few months in order to safely and effectively make way for its new state of the art club precinct&period; General Manager of Harbord Diggers&comma; Dale Hunt&comma; said that while the delivery of the new hospitality venue will occur in 2018&comma; the club will temporarily cease trading for a period prior to launch&period;

“The Mounties Group Board has decided to temporarily cease trading of the current Harbord Diggers club from 1 November 2017 until the new club launch in April&sol;May 2018&comma;&rdquor; Mr Hunt stated&period; “Unfortunately we lost 60 construction days as a result of inclement weather between January and May this year&comma; which set back the project timeline for Stage 1 work considerably&period; “After careful consideration of all factors&comma; this decision was made to ensure delivery of the new club by April&sol;May 2018 with minimal impact to our community&period;&rdquor;

Closure from November this year will allow the Diggers to mitigate construction impact such as noise&comma; dust and vibration expected from the stage 2 demolition and excavation work that was originally planned to occur after stage 1 works were complete&period;

“While not in our original redevelopment plans&comma; this decision will minimise the impact to our community and neighbours and allows us to reduce the overall construction of the new Harbord Diggers by approximately eight months&comma;&rdquor; Mr Hunt added&period; “Bulk excavation work on the eastern end of our site&comma; where we are currently trading&comma; will now be completed before we open the doors to our new state-of-the-art club venue&period;&rdquor;

“We are exploring a number of options to accommodate permanent and permanent part time staff during closure&comma; and casual staff where possible&period; We will be consulting with them throughout the process&comma;&rdquor; said Mr Hunt&period; “Once open&comma; the new Diggers will provide more than 150 local jobs&comma; ensuring we can continue giving back to our local community as one of the largest employers in the area&comma;&rdquor; he added&period; Harbord Diggers will remain open as usual until close of business on Tuesday&comma; 31 October 2017 with the club planning a schedule of free community events over the next four months&period;

The Diggers temporary fitness venue&comma; Gfitness Freshwater will trade as usual and Harbord Diggers sister venue Manly Bowling Club will remain open to members and guests&period;